Vending machine



Oct. 29, 1935. E. E. coLLlsoN Er AL` 2,019,115

VENDING MACHINE Filed May l, 1935 v THF/f ATTORNEYS.

Patented Oct. 29, 1935 `UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VENDING MACHINE of Illinois Application May 1, 1935, Serial No.v19,231

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a vending machine.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved vending machine which is relatively simple and inexpensive in construction and eilicient in use. v

Another object of the present invention is to provide certain improvements upon the vending machine shown and described in our copending application, Serial No. 19,236 led May l, 1935 on a vending machine. 1

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

Theinvention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawing, showing the preferred form of construction and in which:

Fig. l is a perspective View of a vending machine embodying a preferred form of the invenin Fig. 3.

A preferred form of the present invention is shown inthe drawing, is therein generally indicated at I0, and comprises a cabinet I I which includes an article storage or display compartment I2 and a compartment I3 which is arranged below the display compartment I 2 and houses the operating mechanism of the machine.

Arranged in the cabinet between the article storage or display compartment I 2, and the lower compartment I3, is a horizontal partition I4 in which is provided a centrally disposed opening I5 (1118.2).

Arranged in the opening I5, and supported from the partition I4, by means of brackets 4|, is a, relatively stationary disc .or table I6 and surrounding the table I6 is a turntable I1. 'I'his turntable I1 is rotatably mounted in and guided by rollers 42 which are suitably journalled, in brackets 43 which are mounted upon the partition i4 (Figs. 3 and 4); the stationary table I6 being arranged in a central opening I8 which is provided in the turntable I1.

Attached to the turntable I1, and depending from the bottom side thereof, is a ring gear I9, which is provided with teeth 20, and meshing with the teeth of the ring gear I 9 is a gear or pinion 2|, which is mounted on a horizontal shaft 22. Carried by the shaft 22 is a beveled gear 23 which meshes with a beveledgear 24 and the gear 24 tion or alignment with the opening 29 in the reis attached to a rotatable horizontal shaft 25 (Fig. 3). Carried by the shaft 25, exteriorly of the front wall 26 of the cabinet Il, is a handle or selector 21.

Surrounding the turntable l1 is an annular re- 5 taining wall 28 which is mounted upon the brackets 43 by means of the vertical extensionsv` 44 and provided in this retaining wall 28 is a cutout portion or .opening 29 (Fig. 3); and adapted to be moved through the opening 29, over the l0 upper surface of the turntable I1 and over the relatively stationary table I6, is an article ejecting arm 3@ which is carried by a boom 3|, the boom 3| being pivotally mounted in the cabinet li, as at 32, for horizontal movement relative 16 to and over the turntable I1' and the stationary table I 6.

Provided in the stationary table I6 is an eccentrically arranged opening 33 (Fig. 4)` and rotatably mounted in this opening 33 is a member 34 20 which has a nose or sweep portion 40 which is movable over the upper surface of the stationary table I6. Provided in this member 34 is an article receiving and dispensing opening 35 and arranged in the cabinet II below, and in 25 communication with, the article-receiving opening 35 is an article delivery chute 38 which communicates with an article delivery door 39 which is pivotally mounted in the front wall 26 of the cabinet II (Fig. 2). l0

Attached to the member 34 at the bottom thereof is a ring gear 36 and meshing with this ring gear 36 is a pinion 31.

Operation A quantity of vendible articles (not shown) are adapted to be supported upon the turntable I1 and the turntable I1 may be rotated, so as to position a preselected article thereon in registrataining wall 28, by rotating or manipulating the "selector or handle 21, this movement of the selector 21 being transmitted, by way of the shaft 25, gear 24, gear 23, shaft 22, and gear 2| to the ring |9--20 which is attached to the turntable I1, and in this manner the turntable I1 may be rotated, relative to the stationary table I6, and V relative to the boom 3|; the turntable I1 being guided during its rotation by means of the guide rollers 42. 60

The boom 30 and the article-ejecting arm 3| carried thereby may be operated by any suitable means, such as the means shown and described in our above identified copending application, and when the boom 3| is operated (clockwise, Fig. 3)V` the article-ejecting arm 30 carried thereby is moved through the cut-"out portion or opening 29 in the retaining wall 29 over the upper surface of the turntable I1 and over the upper surface of the stationary table I6 so that the article-electing or dispensing arm 30 may engage a vendible ar'- ticle disposed upon the turntable I1 between the cut-out opening 29 in the retaining wall 28 and the article-receiving or dispensing opening 35; and thus push the preselected article off from the turntable I1, over the stationary turntable I6, into the article-receiving or dispensing opening 35, whence the thus vended article will fall into the delivery chute 38 and drop downthe same to the article delivery door 39, from which it may be removed by the operator of the machine. Y

The nose portion 40 of the member 34 provides a sweep which may be moved over the upper surface of the stationary table I6 by rotation of the member 34, and the rotation of this member 34 may be effected by any suitable means, such as that shownv and described in our aboveidentified copending application.

The function of this sweep 34-40 is described in our above-identied copending application, namely, to remove vfrom an advantageous position upon the stationary table I6, in the path of movement of the article-ejecting arm 30, any vendible article or articles which may have been fraudulently moved into such an advantageous position, between the opening 29 in the retaining wall 29 and the article-receiving opening 35, by rocking or tilting the machine from its normal or Aproper operating position.

Only such parts of the present vending machine have been shown and described as are necessary for an understanding of the same and of the principal differences between the present machine and that shown and described in our aboveidentied application, it being noted that the principal dierences between the present machine and that shown and described and claimed in our aforesaid copending application reside in the fact that in our aforaid copending application the sweep (similar to the member 34-4Il) is rotatably mounted in the turntable, rather than in a relatively stationary table, as in the present machine, and hence the article delivery opening is likewise disposed within the marginal edge of the turntable and is concentric relative to the same, rather than being eccentrically arranged relative thereto as in the present machine; and in this connection it will be noted that the hazard, or difliculty encountered by the operator of the present machine in ejecting an article from the turntable I1 into the articledispensing opening 35 is greater in the present machine than in the machine shown in our aforesaid application, by reason of the arrangement of the parts in the present machine relative to each other.

While we have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying our invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification, without departing from the spirit of the invention. We, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail ourselves of such variations and modifications as come within the'scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a vending machine, the combination of:

a cabinet including an article'storage or display compartment; an article-supporting turntable rotatably mounted in said article display compartment and having a centrally disposed opening formed therein; a relatively stationary ar- 5 ticle-supporting table arranged in the said centrally disposed opening in said turntable and having an article-receiving opening therein; means for rotating said turntable relative to and around said relatively stationary table; a boom l0 movably mounted in said article-storage compartment for movement relative to and over said tables and including an article-ejecting arm movable over said turntable and over said relatively stationary table toward said article-receiving l5 opening so as to eject a vendible article off from said turntable over said relatively stationary table into said article-receiving opening.

2. In a vending machine, the combination of a cabinet including an article storage or display 20 compartment; an article-supporting turntable rotatably mounted in said article display compartment and having a centrally disposed opening formed therein; a relatively stationary article-supporting table arranged in the said centrally disposed opening in said turntable and havingn opening therein; a member rotatably mounted in the said second-named opening including a portion movable relative to and over the upper surface of said relatively stationary 80 table and having an article receiving opening formed therein; means for rotating said turntable relative to and around said relatively stationary table; a boom movably mounted in said article-storage compartment for movement relative to and over said tables and including an article-ejecting arm movable over said turntable* and over said relatively stationary table toward said article receiving opening so as to eject a vendible article oif from said turntable over said 40 relatively stationary table into said article-receiving opening.

3.' In a vending machine, the combination of: a cabinet including an article storage or display compartment; an article-supporting turntable 4I rotatably mounted in said article display compartment and having a centrally disposed opening formed therein; a relatively stationary article-supporting table arranged in the said centrally disposed opening in said turntable and having an article-receiving openingl therein;

" means for rotating said turntable relative to and around said relatively stationary table including a member movably mounted in a wall of said cabinet; a boom movably mounted in said ar- Il ticle-storage compartment for movement relative to and over said tables and including an articleejecting arm movable over said turntable and over said relatively stationary ,table toward said article-receiving opening so as to eject a vendible 00 article oil' from said turntable over said relatively stationary table into said article-receiving opening.

4. In a vending machine, the combination of a cabinet including an article storage orv display' 65 compartment; an article supporting turntable rotatably mounted in said article display compartment and having a centrally disposed opening formed therein; a relatively stationary article-supporting table arranged in the said centrally disposed opening in said turntable and having an opening therein; a member rotatably mounted in the said second-named opening including a portion movable relative to and over the upper surface of said relatively stationary 7l table and having an article receiving opening therein; means for rotating said turntable rela.- tive to and around said relatively stationary ta.- ble including a member movably mounted in a wall of said cabinet; a boom movably mounted in said articlefstorage compartment for movement relative to and over said tables and including an article-ejecting arm movable over said turntable and over said relatively stationary table toward said article-receiving opening' so as to eject a vendible article off from said turntable over said relatively stationary table into said article-receiving opening.

EDWARD E. COLLISON. CLAUDE R. KIRK. 

